Monday 9 May 2011

Course work: A second start on the “Scanning Vertically” drawing for Stage 2 of Project Four; this one seems to be going a little better than did the first.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Hal Foster, Rosalind Krauss, Yve-Alain Bois, Benjamin Buchloh Art Since 1900 (Vol. One)

Thames & Hudson, New York, 2004

Pp. 10-24

Sunday 8 May 2011

Course work: Started the “Scanning Vertically” drawing for Stage 2 of Project Four, but am unhappy with it, and will start over.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Stallabrass, Julian Contemporary Art

Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2004

Pp. 1-10

Weekly reflections on learning experience:  A fairly productive week, although I lost one day to fence repairs and another to driving my wife to the airport (460 km round trip).  I’m a little confused by some of the instructions for the present project, and hope that all will become clear as I work through it.

Saturday 7 May 2011

Course work: Cleaned up my work area in preparation for next painting.  Laid out the preliminary drawings and the two paintings for Project Two and Project Three, and reviewed them in preparation for answering the following questions from the text:

“Did the paintings develop in ways you had foreseen in your drawings or did you find, when you began to use colour that they changed in unexpected ways?”

The major change in the design of the Project Two painting was the decision to show the bed as unmade.  I could have made the tonal contrasts stronger. The intense light coming through the south-facing window proved difficult for me to suggest.  In the Project Three painting, the changes that developed were somewhat more extensive, and were made in part for design reasons and in part because of a slight change in viewpoint.  I now think that my decision to paint Project Three as a view from an illuminated room into early-morning light was a flawed decision, and that the painting would have been more effective by reversing these conditions.

“Did you come up against any of the problems mentioned or did you have different ones?”

The major problems I encountered have been described in earlier comments.  I think that the tonal and color relationships are close to what I saw; even though the morning light was of fairly low intensity, it still tended to overpower the white of the window-frame, causing it to appear greyed on the inside and a light yellow on the surfaces directly adjacent to the windowpane.

“Have you managed to get a sense of three-dimensional space in your paintings through the use of colour?”

I think that a sense of depth is shown more successfully in the Project Three painting than in Project Two; the distant tree-line allowed me to use a cooler color and less detail to suggest atmospheric perspective, and the use of overlap was also helpful.

Did the Project One Stage Four sketchbook drawing; it seems strange and out of proportion to have part of my feet and part of the ceiling fan in the same image.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Butler, Christopher Postmodernism

Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2002

Pp. 110-127

(I am glad to have at long last finished this difficult book; I read it with the intent of gaining some insight into the postmodernist mind, but have not gained any sympathy for the movement.  Two quotations from the text seem to explain the movement in toto: (Postmodernism)”…seems to be self-indulgent and self-absorbed, and ultimately uncommitted to anything that matters.” “Postmodernists are by and large pessimists, many of them haunted by lost Marxist revolutionary hopes, and the beliefs and the art they inspire are often negative rather than constructive.”  I have difficulty enough with modernism, and will have to leave postmodernism to a younger generation.

Sketchbook work: A sketch from an image of a statue entitled “Mourner No. 52”, found on the Los Angeles County Museum of Art website.

Friday 6 May 2011

Course work: Made some additional minor changes and corrections; at this time I think that Project Three is complete.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Margaret Davidson Contemporary Drawing: Key Concepts and Techniques

Watson-Guptill Publication, New York, 2011

Pp. 84-119

Sketchbook work: Three eggs, erased out from a charcoal ground.

Wednesday 4 May 2011

Course work: Painted the cedar tree on the left side of the window.  Some trial sketches done on a digital image of the work to date lead me to think that adding the pecan trees on the right would make the overall composition too busy.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Further investigation into Matisse’s  Fauvist period.

Timothy Hyman Bonnard

Thames and Hudson, London, 1998

Pp. 181-213

(This is a readable book; it would have been improved my more color illustrations…how can one appreciate one of the great colorists with black and white images? ) Timothy Hyman Bonnard

Thames and Hudson, London, 1998

Pp. 151-179

Sketchbook work: Two pages of compositional studies using three eggs of slightly varied size and shape.  I think the first and last are the most interesting; the third could be improved by reversing one egg and correcting the problem with shadow tangency.  An interesting exercise that came to me in half-sleep, perhaps as a residual influence of Terry Frost.

Monday 2 May 2011

Course work: Further work on the window, and some additional work on the grass and weeds.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Margaret Davidson Contemporary Drawing: Key Concepts and Techniques

Watson-Guptill Publication, New York, 2011

Pp. 38-83

Sketchbook work:  Although I did not paint this in the actual sketchbook, I thought that the oil sketch I produced based on the sketchbook work of the preceding two days should be included, as it is a logical progression from the previous sketches.

Sunday 1 May 2011

Course work: A good bit of additional work on the Project Three painting; the entire

sheet has paint on it now,  and I’m almost ready to start work on the closest trees.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Timothy Hyman Bonnard

Thames and Hudson, London, 1998

Pp. 151-179

Sketchbook work: Revisiting yesterday’s topic, I attempted a sketch wearing the helmet in very subdued, strongly-directional light, using ink, compressed charcoal,  colored pencil, and a dab of white acrylic. The helmet made it difficult to work, and the poor light made it difficult to see, but there are a few things about the sketch that are pleasing.  Using the compressed charcoal to blend the edges of the ink and to tone the colored pencil worked reasonably well, and the four media employed seem compatible for a subject of this sort.

Weekly reflections on learning experience:  The days that I did not paint this week were spent in part thinking about and working on solutions for the small difficulties that inevitably occur during the course of a painting.  I am still trying to arrive at a satisfactory combination of greens that will allow me to depict the fairly-well-lit grass on the top of the dam, the shaded grass on the face of the dam, and the partially-lit grass and weeds between the window and the pond.  Choosing to paint the scene in early-morning light, looking out from an illuminated room,  has caused me some problems, and there have been delays owing to bad weather and electric service outage. The change in proportions needed to go from the original drawing to a sheet of different dimensions, and a slight shift in viewpoint to eliminate the fence (which I found undesirable from a design viewpoint)  have also caused me some problems.  Reading and theoretical studies are pretty well on schedule; sketchbook work is only fair.  Overall, a pretty good week’s effort.

Friday 29 April 2011

Course work: Started work on the window frame, which seems more complex than it should be.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Butler, Christopher Postmodernism

Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2002

Pp. 90-109

Sketchbook work: A quick pencil self-portrait sketch in a Greek helmet.

Thursday 28 April 2011

Course work: In an effort to make the pines behind the dam more natural in color, I applied two thin washes of pthalocyanine blue: this was helpful, but one or two more may be required as work progresses.  Did a little additional work on the reflections , and laid in a base color for the foreground grass.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Margaret Davidson Contemporary Drawing: Key Concepts and Techniques

Watson-Guptill Publication, New York, 2011

Pp. 8-37

Sketchbook work: A hasty pencil sketch of my breakfast.

Wednesday 27 April 2011

Course work: Reworked the dam and the reflections in the water in the pond.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Timothy Hyman Bonnard

Thames and Hudson, London, 1998

Pp. 129-150

Sketchbook work: An entertaining if not wholly successful effort at using wax resist and acrylic to depict some American Indian petroglyphs.

Tuesday 26 April 2011

Course work: Did not paint today: stopped and thought a bit about painting water.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Partricia Seligman How to Paint Water

Chartwell Books, Edison, New Jersey,USA, 2002

Pp. 30-31, 48-59

Maureen Bloomfield “The Solace of Still Water” in

The Artist’s Magazine  Vol. 28, No. 2 (March 2011)

Pp. 24-31

Sketchbook work: Some small acrylic test patches in my sketchbook, working on techniques for depicting fairly still water.

Monday 25 April 2011

Course work: Continued work on Project Three, starting to paint in the pond, and making some minor changes on the dam to better reveal it as a three-dimensional object.  I think that I will still have to darken the face of the dam (and the associated reflections).

Reading and theoretical studies:

Matthew Collings This is Modern Art

Weidenfeld and Nicholson, London, 1999

Pp. 246-262

(This was a difficult book for me: perhaps I am too old to understand it.  If one reads almost any paragraph aloud, it sounds quite similar to the babbling of a manic-phase bipolar disorder patient…all stream of consciousness, one thought tumbled upon another.  I could not decide whether the author was serious, or whether he was ridiculing modern art, or art critics, or maybe the reader.  I certainly found it difficult to consider as art much of what was represented as art by the author. I am surprised that OCA recommends this book, as it does not seem suited to the serious student.  Perhaps the text seemed more relevant when it was written, twelve years ago.)

Sketchbook work: A page of attempts at sketching our usually-asleep but seldom still cat, not very successful.

Sunday 24 April 2011

Course work: A good work session, primarily upon far-distant and middle distant trees, using various mixtures of lemon yellow, yellow ochre, cobalt blue, ultramarine blue, and white. Started work on the dam at the end of the pond.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Timothy Hyman Bonnard

Thames and Hudson, London, 1998

Pp. 103-128

Added four images of works by Matisse that include goldfish to my study collection, as part of response to issues raised by the recent tutor report.

Sketchbook work: An interesting wood-grain pattern in a fence post.

Weekly reflections on learning experience: I seem to be getting back “on track” again, having completed the interior painting over which I labored, and having made a good start on the view through the window, which seems to be going much more satisfactorily.  Work on the specific responses to issues raised by my tutor is underway.

Saturday 23 April 2011

Course work: Started work on Project Three, attempting to work more freely than I did on Project Two.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Matthew Collings This is Modern Art

Weidenfeld and Nicholson, London, 1999

Pp. 225-245

Collected images of works of Giotto and Cimabue.

Sketchbook work: A second acrylic sketch inspired by the work of Terry Frost.

Friday 22 April 2011

Course work: (Cleanup from Project Two and preparation for Project Three.)

Reading and theoretical studies:

Timothy Hyman Bonnard

Thames and Hudson, London, 1998

Pp. 88-102

Review of a large number of images by Terry Frost  as part of response to issues raised in tutor report. (see my consolidated responses at end of Assignment Three Log.)

Sketchbook work: A derivative acrylic sketch done after looking at images by Terry Frost.  This was done using cadmium yellow light, cadmium red light, ultramarine blue, and a neutral color prepared by mixing the three aforementioned colors.  The blue shape would have been more obvious had I used cerulean blue, but my intent was to have it “lurking in the background.”

Thursday 21 April 2011

Course work: After a period of indecisiveness, I resumed work on the Project Two painting, which I think is now finished.  Unfortunately, I think that it is also overworked, and probably over-planned.  The tones are close to those that I saw, and the shapes and the perspective are reasonably close, but I think in retrospect that I should have exaggerated the tones for effect.  The brushwork varies from tentative to overworked. In summary, I think that this is one of the less-interesting  paintings that I’ve done for the course, even though it looks very like the subject..   I will try to do the next project in a few long sessions, instead of a larger number of short sessions, as it seems that working in the latter manner causes me to concentrate on detail and miss the essence of the painting. 

Reading and theoretical studies:

Matthew Collings This is Modern Art

Weidenfeld and Nicholson, London, 1999

Pp. 200-222

Sketchbook work: Some blown-ink-drop experiments using acrylic ink and non-waterproof drawing ink.  Although my sample is too small to be valid, the most interesting result so far was obtained with the India ink.

Sunday 17 April 2011

Weekly reflections on learning experience: Not a very satisfactory week.  Indecision as to how to complete the Project Two painting led into one of the periods of being unable to do anything that seem to be common to those who pursue art in any form.

Saturday 16 April 2011

Reading and theoretical studies:

Sarah Simblett The Drawing Book

Dorling Kindersley, London, 2004

Pp. 238-255

(This book is always a delight to peruse.  I have read it three times now, and learn something new every time.  This volume stays in my workroom, rather than on the more capacious but more remote shelves that house most of my books.)

Thursday 14 April 2011

Course work: Continued minor work and adjustments to Project Two.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Timothy Hyman Bonnard

Thames and Hudson, London, 1998

Pp. 54-87

Wednesday 13 April 2011

Course work: Some further work on Project Two, still mostly detail work.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Matthew Collings This is Modern Art

Weidenfeld and Nicholson, London, 1999

Pp. 184-199

Tuesday 12 April 2011

Course work: A little more work on Project Two.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Timothy Hyman Bonnard

Thames and Hudson, London, 1998

Pp. 31-53

Sketchbook work: A page of experiments with India ink-drops distributed by blowing upon them with a straw.  Two drops were used: the upper was plain ink, the lower had a drop of soap added.  Both resulted in interesting patterns for which I can see potential future use, perhaps as trees or marine microorganisms.  It will be interesting to try similar experiments with acrylic ink and non-waterproof ink.

Monday 11 April 2011

Course work: Further work on Project Two, primarily putting in smaller details, a slow process for me, and one that will overwhelm me if I allow it to do so.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Timothy Hyman Bonnard

Thames and Hudson, London, 1998

Pp. 7-30

Sketchbook work:  A clump of young, feral pecan trees, almost the last deciduous tree in our area to bud out in the spring.

Sunday 10 April 2011

Weekly reflections on learning experience: A fairly satisfactory week, although toward the end I got “stuck” trying to decide how to finish up the Project Two painting.  Sketchbook work and reading were satisfactory, and I spent some “off the book” time considering future projects and accumulating pertinent information.

Saturday 9 April 2011

Course work: Some additional work on the Project Two painting, in addition to some “sitting and staring” time spent in considering just how to finish it up.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Matthew Collings This is Modern Art

Weidenfeld and Nicholson, London, 1999

Pp. 157-182

Sketchbook work: A hasty and not particularly successful pen sketch of a spray of orchids.

Friday 8 April 2011

Course work: Further work on the Project Two painting, which is beginning to come together.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Matthew Collings This is Modern Art

Weidenfeld and Nicholson, London, 1999

Pp. 127-156

Sarah Simblett The Drawing Book

Dorling Kindersley, London, 2004

Pp. 218-237

Sketchbook work: A simplified acrylic sketch after Goya’s Prison, Interior, that seems to show as well as anything I’ve seen the effect of looking from a darkened room into a lighted one.

Thursday 7 April 2011

Course work: Work continues on the Project Two painting.  My primary effort remains getting adequate coverage and approximate tone and color.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Sarah Simblett The Drawing Book

Dorling Kindersley, London, 2004

Pp. 196-217

Sketchbook work: A fourth sketch of the cedar tree, in acrylics.  Three of these were done by afternoon light, and the fourth by morning light.  Colors used were ultramarine blue, yellow ochre, cadmium yellow light, and burnt siena. This series of sketches will prove useful, as the cedar tree will figure in the next painting project.

Wednesday 6 April 2011

Course work: Ongoing work on Project Two.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Leonhard Emmerling Pollock

Taschen, Köln, 2006

Pp. 52-96

(I still don’t know quite what to think about Pollock’s work.  I like some of the “drip paintings,” and find a few of his other works somewhat interesting, but on the whole…I remain unsure.)

Sketchbook work: The third sketch in the cedar series, in pen.

Sunday 3 April 2011

Course work: Continued work on Project Two; this is going rather slowly as several coats of paint are needed for adequate coverage and reasonable uniformity of color.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Matthew Collings This is Modern Art

Weidenfeld and Nicholson, London, 1999

Pp. 101-126

Sketchbook work: The second of my cedar tree studies, in charcoal.

Weekly reflections on learning experience:  A pretty satisfactory week’s effort.  I would like to spend more time on the course, but there’s lots of springtime work to do now.

Saturday 2 April 2011

Course work: Further work on Project Two.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Leonhard Emmerling Pollock

Taschen, Köln, 2006

Pp. 35-51

Sketchbook work: The first of a planned short series of an American red cedar tree, in pencil.

Friday 1 April 2011

Course work: Continued work on the Project Two painting.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Matthew Collings This is Modern Art

Weidenfeld and Nicholson, London, 1999

Pp. 73-100

Sketchbook work: A second sketch of an unmade bed.  An acrylic sketch of the new foliage in the oak grove, contrasted against the surrounding blue-green evergreens.

Thursday 31 March 2011

Course work: Started the Project Two painting, working on 46x61 cm paper.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Sarah Simblett The Drawing Book

Dorling Kindersley, London, 2004

Pp. 174-195

Sketchbook work: In further preparation for the Project Two painting, I did a sketch of tangled bedclothes, having decided an unmade bed was more interesting than a made one.

Wednesday 30 March 2011

Course work: Finished the fourth Project One Drawing. This one went a bit more quickly than the first.  The perspective was a little better, and the line that really wanders off still looks “right”

to my eye.

   

Reading and theoretical studies:

Leonhard Emmerling Pollock

Taschen, Köln, 2006

Pp. 6-34

Sketchbook work: A few little detail studies to help me resolve issues with the larger drawing for Project One.